roller_coastersfandomcom-20200214-history
The Raven
|category = |type = Wooden Rollercoaster|status = Operating|Date of Opening = May 6, 1995|Date of Closing = |Ride Time = 1:30|highest speed = 48 mph|highest hill = 80 ft|largest drop = 85 ft|amount of inversions = 0|amount of incidents = 1|rating grade = 98% - A+|theme park = Holiday World & Splashin' Safari|image location = Raven at Holiday World.JPG|image caption = The Raven's lift hill and first drop, as viewed from the entrance of the park.}} The Raven is a wooden roller coaster at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari's Halloween section in Santa Claus, Indiana, United States. It was designed and built beginning in 1994 by the now-defunct roller coaster manufacturer Custom Coasters International, with the help of designers Dennis McNulty and Larry Bill; it opened on May 6, 1995. The Raven takes its name from Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven" and features sudden drops and turns which mimic the flight of a raven. From 2000 to 2003, The Raven was voted the world's "Best Wooden Roller Coaster" at the Golden Ticket Awards, which are presented annually by Amusement Today magazine. It was named an "ACE Roller Coaster Landmark" by American Coaster Enthusiasts on June 23, 2016. Layout The ride begins with riders in the station facing the entrance to the ride. Immediately after dispatch the train takes a 180° turn over the queue area and into the transfer track, which runs parallel to the station. After passing through the transfer track, the train dips down and under the final brake run before latching onto the lift hill chain. The lift hill chain takes the train up to the top of the hill. Once at the top of the lift hill, the train dips down a little and makes a turn to the right as riders overlook the park's main entrance and the parking lot. The train then dives down its initial 85 feet (26 m) drop at almost 50 miles per hour (80 km/h). Immediately at the bottom of the first drop is The Raven's single 120 feet (37 m) above-ground tunnel. After exiting the tunnel the train goes back up another hill before making a slight turn to the right and heading back down again for the ride's second small drop. Following the second drop the train crests the top of a small hill in preparation for a large, sweeping right turn over Lake Rudolph. This turn is considered one of the more photogenic elements of the ride. The turn over Lake Rudolph is a full 180° turn and sends the train back uphill before making a left turn so that the train is now parallel to the top of the second hill. At this point the train dips down and returns uphill in a simultaneous left turn. Once the train has crested the top of the hill, it enters its 61 feet (19 m) drop, which is also commonly referred to as the "fifth drop". Following the drop, the train hugs the ground through thickly-wooded terrain while traversing a banked "S" curve, first to the right and then to the left. The train then takes a second large, sweeping right turn. At the conclusion of the right turn, the train makes a quick left turn and immediately enters the brake run to end the ride. If there are two trains operating, the train will wait in the brake run until the second train has left the station. If not, the train will continue directly into the station at which point riders will unload. Incidents On May 31, 2003, Tamar Fellner, a 32-year-old female from New York City, New York, died after falling out of The Raven roller coaster. Fellner was visiting the park to attend "Stark Raven Mad 2003", an event hosting roller coaster enthusiasts from around the country. At approximately 8:00 pm, Fellner and her fiancé boarded The Raven in the last row of the train. Following a safety check of her lap bar and seat belt by a ride operator, the train left the station. Multiple witnesses reported that they saw Fellner "virtually standing up" during the ride's initial and subsequent drops. During the ride's 69 feet (21 m) drop, also called the fifth drop, Fellner was ejected from the car and onto the tracks. When the train returned to the station, Fellner's fiancé, ride operators, and a passenger who was a doctor ran back along the tracks, at which point they found Fellner lying under the structure of the roller coaster at the fifth drop. The doctor, aided by park medical personnel, began CPR until an ambulance arrived. Fellner was pronounced dead en route to the hospital. An investigation following the accident showed that Fellner's safety restraints were working properly and that there were no mechanical deficiencies on the roller coaster. However, Fellner's family filed a lawsuit in 2005 against Holiday World and the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, the manufacturer of the roller coaster train. The lawsuit was settled out of court in 2007; terms of the settlement were not disclosed. See also * Voyage * The Legend * Thunderbird